NUM members on strike at Dwarsrivier Mine in Limpopo

About 1 500 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have embarked on a protected strike at Dwarsrivier mine to force the company to comply with the Labour Relations Act, and improve the conditions of employment as stipulated in the Act.

The Dwarsrivier mine is one of the biggest chrome producing mining company based in Burgersfort, Limpopo province.Workers are fed up and angered by an ongoing conduct by Dwarsrivier mine management in that they are busy doing away with all agreements, and replacing them with company policies.

Workers are demanding that the company should provide them with housing subsidy, allocate transport to and from work, and increase medical aid contribution to 60%.

“The management of Dwarsrivier mine is so arrogant. We are sick and tired of their behaviour. This company does not care about our livelihood. Firstly, it does not provide housing for employees, but instead, is able to offer mansion houses to supervisors in the suburbs of Lydenburg”, said NUM North-East Regional Secretary Phillip Mankge.

The strike, which started earlier today by underground, surface and administration workers, has brought production in the company to a standstill.

“It is clear that the working class are always the ones to suffer while managers are benefiting through our sweats. All our members are participating in the strike. It is unbelievable that all the surrounding mines are offering reliable transport to their own employees but Dwarsrivier mine is refusing to do the same. Workers are prepared to fight tooth and nail until their demands are met," Mankge added.

The NUM is highly agitated by the fact that black managers are the once leading all negotiation processes at the mine, but instead of understanding the plight of the poor workers, they are the once who treated them badly.

It is highly disappointing to see that there are still companies out there in the country that are still entrapped in a form of modern slavery, refusing to conform to the labour laws of South Africa.